Tag: Sunaya Sapurji

Statements abound as Hurricanes welcome Peters as head coach; social media firestorm follows announcement . . . Patrick says he’s not done with coaching

On a day when some of its 22 teams had players report to training camps, the WHL found itself in the middle of a firestorm on Wednesday after the Lethbridge Hurricanes announced the hiring of Bill Peters as head coach.

Peters takes over from Brent Kisio, who left the organization after eight seasons on Aug. 10 and now is an assistant coach with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.

The firestorm actually began on Tuesday night, a week after I had posted here that Peters was the leading candidate to be named the Hurricanes’ head coach.

First, Frank Seravalli of @HockeyFaceoff posted to X, formerly known as Twitter: “Following up on Gregg’s report that Bill Peters is potentially next head coach in WHL Lethbridge. Checked in with Akim Aliu, who said Peters has still not apologized — 13 years after the incident, and nearly 4 years after it became public and cost him his NHL head coaching job.” He has 289.7K followers.

Shortly after, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN posted to his 229.2K followers that Peters could be named head coach “as early as” Wednesday. He also wrote that “it’s my understanding that Peters only sought an audience with Aliu last week through a third party, apparently in anticipation of this job opportunity.”

And with that the dam broke as comments poured in, the vast majority of them negative.

Sunaya Sapurji, a longtime junior hockey observer and writer now with The Athletic, posted: “Just had a source reach out to confirm @gdrinnan’s report. This is gross on so many levels. I have a hard time believing there isn’t a good young coach (or an old one) deserving of an opportunity to coach ‘junior’ without the baggage. Honestly, why would you do this?”

(For more, if you’re on X just search for Bill Peters.)

Peters, 58, hasn’t coached in North America since resigning as head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames on Nov. 29, 2019. That followed accusations by former player Akim Aliu that Peters had directed racist comments at him while both were with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, in 2009-10.

Writing on Twitter, Aliu said Peters, Rockford’s head coach, had “dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn’t like my choice of music.”

After leaving Calgary, Peters joined Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL as head coach on April 15, 2020. He was fired on Nov. 30, 2022.

In the almost four years since leaving the Flames, Peters hadn’t apologized to Aliu. On Wednesday, Aliu released a statement on X stating that he recently had heard from an unidentified NHL coach who was attempting “to broker an apology” from Peters. In the statement, Aliu wrote that “I don’t feel that I have anything to say to Bill at this point.”

On Wednesday, a teary-eyed Peters addressed the news conference in Lethbridge, starting with:

“To Akim, I apologize. I did not recognize the impact of my words. I was uneducated in my use of inappropriate language. I take ownership of my actions, I regret my choice of words. I failed to create a safe space for the team, and I’m deeply sorry.”

Peters also did a stint as head coach of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes (2014-18). Michal Jordán, who played with Carolina then, later alleged that Peters had kicked him and also had punched another player in the head during a game.

Rod Brind’Amour, an assistant coach with Carolina then, has confirmed those allegations. He now is the Hurricanes’ head coach.

Meanwhile, there were statements aplenty at Wednesday’s Lethbridge news conference. And as you might expect everyone was singing from the same hymnal.

According to the Hurricanes, “Peters has completed the Anti-Racism Training and Coaching Certification program with guidance through Shades of Humanity Consulting — a national diversity, equity and inclusion agency, helping companies build diverse and inclusive organizations as well as providing leadership coaching, culture development strategies, anti-racism education and equity informed policy design.”

The team said that he “will continue to partake in anti-racism coaching, equity training, and further educational initiatives prescribed by Shades of Humanity Consulting.”

Peters, in his statement, said he worked with Shades of Humanity “to understand and correct my regrettable actions. I have learned a lot through this educational journey and feel ready to return to coaching. I am in a unique position to guide our next generation of community leaders and to establish a more inclusive culture in hockey.”

Ron Robison, the outgoing WHL commissioner, attended the news conference. In a statement, he offered: “After a thorough review, speaking with representatives from Shades of Humanity, and receiving a commitment from Bill to continue on his path of anti-racism, self-growth and redemption, the WHL is satisfied Bill is ready to return to coaching in the WHL. The journey towards individual and systemic equity learning should be viewed as an ongoing process. Bill has demonstrated that through this process and the WHL remains committed to systemic change through continued education.”

Later in the day, Aliu told John Chidley-Hill of The Canadian Press that no one from the WHL or the Hurricanes had spoken with him. (That story is right here.)

“I think the WHL and the Hurricanes should have contacted myself and Michal Jordan, the victims of Bill Peters, and had a conversation,” said Aliu. “I’m just mind boggled how you can take the word of a racist and abusive person and the fact that he’s telling you he has changed when you haven’t spoken with the folks that have been affected by it.

“That’s just a huge lack of leadership on the behalf of WHL president Ron Robison and the Lethbridge Hurricanes as a whole.”

Peters has had two other WHL coaching stints, both with the Spokane Chiefs. He was an assistant coach for three seasons (1999-02) and their head coach for three seasons (2005-08). He also spent three seasons (2002-05) as the head coach of the U of Lethbridge men’s hockey team.

The Hurricanes signed Peters to a multi-year contract, the length of which wasn’t divulged.

“Bill brings a high level of experience, having coached professionally in the AHL and NHL,” Peter Anholt, Lethbridge’s general manager, said in a news release. “His previous time in the WHL, which included a Memorial Cup championship in 2008, along with his experience coaching in Lethbridge with the Pronghorns, put him at the top of our candidate list. His addition will have a major impact on our team and our players’ and coaches development.”

Anholt, 62, who is about to start his 10th season as GM, also is heavily involved with Hockey Canada. He spent the past two seasons overseeing the country’s under-18 program. On March 22, Hockey Canada promoted him to the U-20 program. That means that he is in charge of the team that will be gunning for a third straight gold medal when the World Junior Championship opens in Goteborg, Sweden, on Dec. 26.

Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) — This is so important for understanding what the significance and reach of “boys club” really means when we talk about the NHL. It isn’t just that certain people get certain opportunities — it’s that those people then influence others in positions to give out other opportunities. (80.6K followers).

Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) — The fact that Bill Peters is going to be put in charge of a group of kids and young adults again after all of this is just absolutely insane to me. You’re telling me there isn’t one qualified person ahead of him that doesn’t have a chronic history of alleged abuse? (25.1K followers).

The other day, Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun caught up with James Patrick, a WHL head coach for the past six seasons. Patrick spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the Winnipeg Ice and the two seasons before that with the Kootenay Ice. The Winnipeg franchise was sold and moved to Wenatchee, Wash., over the summer. Patrick, 60, has since joined the Victoria Royals as director of player development. . . . Patrick told Friesen that the sale of the Ice came as a surprise: “I wasn’t in the loop. . . . There were rumours all year long, and some of them were found to be just that, rumours. I was under the impression the team would be back for sure for another year.” . . . As for his coaching career, Patrick told Friesen that “it’s not over.” . . . Friesen’s column — and it’s a good read — is right here.

TVshow

The Tri-City Americans have acquired F Jake Gudelj from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for two WHL draft picks — a fifth-rounder in 2025 and a second in 2026. . . . From Vancouver, Gudelj, who won’t turn 18 until Dec. 5, had eight goals and assists in 68 games with the Chiefs as a sophomore last season. As a freshman, he put up three goals and three assists in 51 games. . . . He was Spokane’s scholastic player of the year each of the past two seasons. . . . The Chiefs selected him in the fourth round of the WHL’s 2020 draft.

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The Tri-City Americans and Jacobs Radio have agreed on a “multi-year partnership” that will have all regular-season and playoff games carried on 95.3 UROCK Radio. . . . The Americans made the announcement on Tuesday, also revealing that Craig West will return as the play-by-play voice, at least on an interim basis. West announced in April that he was moving into semi-retirement after call WHL games since 1990, with the Spokane Chiefs (1990-98) and the Americans (1998-2023). However, the Americans have yet to hire a new radio voice, so West will fill that role on an interim basis. As West posted on Facebook, along with a laughing emoji: “Just when you think you’re out, you’re back in.”

Stupidity

The Calgary Hitmen have named Gary Michalick as their director of scouting. A native of Winnipeg, Michalick was a long-time scout with the Brandon Wheat Kings before joining the Hitmen. He now is heading into his seventh season with Calgary. . . . Garry Davidson had been the director of scouting until being named director of hockey operations following the departure of general manager Jeff Chynoweth on July 15.

Robbie Sandland, a former director of player personnel and assistant general manager with the Kamloops Blazers, has joined the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins as an amateur scout. The Penguins made the announcement on Tuesday. . . . From Nanaimo, Sandland will spend most of his time scouting Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. He had been with the Blazers since 2018 when he signed on as a scout. He was named director of player personnel a year later and added the AGM title prior to last season.

Aaron Keller was named director of player personnel by the Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday. Keller played four seasons (1992-96) with the Blazers, helping them win the Memorial Cup in 1994 and again in 1995. . . . Keller has worked with the Blazers as a development coach since 2017 when returned to Kamloops from Japan where he played for 17 seasons and coached for three. For the past four years he also has been the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association’s technical director. . . . The Blazers also promoted Scott Blakeney, a B.C. scout, to senior head scout (B.C.) and added Brad Davis to their scouting staff as head scout (Manitoba). Blakeney is going into his fifth season with Kamloops. Davis spent the past 16 seasons with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Jason Pashelka will be back for a fifth season as head scout (Alberta).

Beagle

The AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys are in the market for a general manager and head coach after announcing on Monday that Scott Atkinson had “tendered his resignation effective immediately.” . . . According to the team, Atkinson left for “personal reasons.” . . . The team is expected to name an interim GM and interim head coach while searching for someone to fill both roles. . . . Atkinson had been with the team for three and a half years. . . . The Grizzlys are in the middle of training camp, having already played one exhibition game and with their first home game set for Friday.

The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers announced on Saturday that they have signed Emery Olauson as their general manager and head coach. He had been the GM/head coach of the KIJHL’s Columbia Valley Rockies, who play out of Invermere. . . . Olauson, 42, replaces Mat Hehr, who left early in August to join the Northern Alberta XTreme program. . . . The Terriers also announced that assistant coaches Scott Musqua and Zach Rakochy will be returning.

Scott Gomez, a former WHL star with the Tri-City Americans, has joined the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles as an assistant coach. Gomez, 43, is from Anchorage. He played one season (1996-97) with Surrey, before spending two with the Americans. . . . Gomez then went on to an NHL career that included 1,079 regular-season games and two Stanley Cup titles.

Trojan

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

I am stepping away from these writings and musings for the next while. In fact, at this time, I don’t know when, or even if, I will return. . . . I am wanting to get away from social media in the worst way and am looking forward to not feeling the need to turn on a computer. . . . Thanks for being here for all these years.

Bacon

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Shoe

Visiting the time capsule and discovering the time Jim Harrison was in goal for the Estevan Bruins and a whole lot more . . .

It is time to let your imagination run wild for a few minutes. OK?

Just imagine that NHL teams only carried one goaltender. And let’s imagine that one team’s goaltender was injured during a pre-game warmup, played the first two periods, but then couldn’t continue.

If that team was the Pittsburgh Penguins, would Sidney Crosby go in goal for the third period? If it was the Edmonton Oilers, would it be Connor McDavid?

Because that’s exactly what happened with the Estevan Bruins during a game in 1967-68, the second season of what is now the WHL.

I had never heard this story from the annals of WHL history until stumbling on it while doing some research on Saturday.

I was looking for a goaltender, any goaltender, who might have started his WHL career by going 20-plus games without a regulation-time loss.

The Bruins — Scotty Munro was the general manager and Ernie (Punch) McLean the coach — had opened the 1967-68 season with a 22-game winning streak, so I started there.

Gord Kopp was Estevan’s goaltender — teams only carried one goaltender — so he had opened the season with 22 straight victories.

GordKopp
Gord Kopp, during a brief stint with the EHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

Unfortunately, WHL statistics from the early seasons are embarrassingly scarce. So I was relying on newspapers.com where a subscriber is able to access a whole lot of newspapers, including the Brandon Sun, Edmonton Journal and Regina Leader-Post.

Through these newspapers, I was able to ascertain that the Bruins won their 22nd straight game on Dec. 10, 1967, beating the host Swift Current Broncos, 9-6.

However, Kopp was injured in the warmup, suffering a broken nose and a bad facial cut. I think it’s safe to assume that Kopp took a puck to the face. I don’t know whether he wore a mask with the Bruins, although I did find a photo of him wearing one of those form-fitting Fibreglas masks from a time in his brief minor pro career.

Anyway, he played the first two periods in Swift Current before apparently deciding that he couldn’t continue.

This is where things get interesting because it was F Jim Harrison, perhaps the Bruins’ best player, who donned the pads and played the third period. Not only that, but Harrison had scored three goals through 40 minutes. While I wasn’t able to find out how many saves he made in the third, the Bruins did hold period leads of 5-3 and 7-3. So the Broncos outscored the visitors 3-2 with Harrison in goal.

(Harrison finished that season with 75 points, including 32 goals, in 46 games. F Gregg Sheppard led the team with 81 points, 35 of them goals, in 58 games.)

But when is the last time a WHL player — or any junior player for that matter — had a hat trick and played goal in the same game?

Still, the Bruins came out of that game boasting a 22-0-0 record.

And then came Dec. 12, 1967, and a game in Saskatoon against the Blades.

“You have to concede the Bruins win No. 23 tonight when they take on the Blades in Saskatoon,” wrote Ron Campbell in that day’s Regina Leader-Post.

With Kopp unavailable, the Bruins brought in Ed Dyck, who had turned 17 on Oct. 29, from the junior B North Battleford Beaver-Bruins. With Dyck in goal, the Bruins dropped a 4-3 decision to the Blades before 1,410 fans.

Estevan took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from Harrison and D Dale Hoganson, but F Orest Kindrachuk got the Blades to within one before the period ended. F Ron Fairbrother pulled Saskatoon into a 2-2 tie with the only goal of the second period, then gave his guys a 3-2 lead at 5:46 of the third.

F Greg Polis scored for Estevan at 6:18, only to have F Jim Nicholls score what proved to be the winner, at 10:59, as the Blades improved to 7-12-3.

“Those Blades played a whale of game,” Munro told Jack Cook of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. “We were bound to lose one eventually, and I’m glad we didn’t give it away. Blades were good enough to take it tonight.”

BTW, Cook reported that “there was no shortage of professional scouts at the game with five NHL clubs represented by nine men . . . including Dennis Ball, Danny Summers, Lorne Davis, Metro Prystai, Johnny Walker, Bud Quinn and Rudy Migay.”)

Cook also wrote: “Young Dyck, playing in his first junior A game, was remarkably calm and had little chance on the four shots that beat him.”

Dyck played four straight games with the Bruins. He beat the Oil Kings, 5-3, in Edmonton on Dec. 13, then dropped a 2-1 decision to the Buffaloes in Calgary the next night. (The Buffaloes had been 0-17-2 in their previous 19 outings.) On Dec. 16, Dyck beat the visiting Buffaloes, 7-4.

Dyck would go on to a couple of stellar seasons with the Calgary Centennials, and would spend three seasons in the NHL and one in the WHA.

Kopp returned for a Dec. 17 game against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, and stopped 23 shots in a 5-0 victory for his 23rd straight triumph.

However, Kopp’s run ended four nights later with a 4-1 loss in Brandon. The Wheat Kings outshot the Bruins, 28-20 in that one, as Brandon head coach Elliott Chorley chose to use only six forwards and four defencemen for most of the game. Yes, it was a different game in those days.

Chorley had Larry Romanchych between Jack Wells and Bob Young, although Young was injured early on and Gerald Canart slid into that spot. The other forward unit featured Jack Borotsik between Ray Brownlee and Bob Clyne, who scored twice. The defence pairings had Bill Mikkelson with Mark Kennedy, and Jack Criel with Jim Wilton.

At that point, the Bruins were 25-3, with Kopp at 23-1 and Dyck at 2-2.

In the end, however, it turned out that Kopp didn’t start his WHL career in 1967-68. As I learned with more digging, Kopp played some in 1966-67 when Prince George native Pete Neukomm was the Bruins’ starter. (Kopp actually lost his final appearance of 1966-67, 3-2, to the visiting Regina Pats.)

All told, Kopp got into 103 games with Estevan over the 1967-68 (55) and 1968-69 (48) seasons. In 1967-68, he played in 55 of the team’s 60 regular-season games, with a 2.76 GAA, .902 save percentage and six shutouts. He was 3.33 and .900 without a shutout in 1968-69. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any statistics from 1966-67.

——

All of this was necessary because the WHL wasn’t able to confirm whether G WinnipegIceDaniel Hauser of the Winnipeg Ice had set a record or was near a record when he went into Saturday’s game in Saskatoon with a career mark of 22-0-2.

Hauser, who turned 18 on Jan. 29, was 7-0-1 with Winnipeg in the development season of 2021. This season, he was 13-0-1 before the Blades beat the Ice, 7-2, on Saturday night.

It would seem that Hauser does indeed hold the record for longest unbeaten streak by a goaltender to begin his WHL career, at 22-0-2. Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun pointed out that Scott Olson, a native of Bloomington, Minn., who spent parts of three seasons (1977-80) with the Wheat Kings, started his career on a 15-0-3 run. We will assume, unless we hear differently, that Olson held the record before Hauser’s arrival.

The 5-foot-11, 160-pound Hauser, from Chestermere, Alta., was a sixth-round selection by Winnipeg in the WHL’s 2019 draft.

——

When you go down a rabbit hole like I did in chasing Gord Kopp and the Estevan Bruins, you stumble on things like this . . .

The Bruins beat the visiting Weyburn Red Wings, 5-1, for their 20th straight victory on Dec. 5. The next day, The Leader-Post reported: “The Bruins moved one step closer to the all-time junior hockey win streak mark set at 25 by the now-defunct Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in 1942.”

Of course, the Bruins didn’t quite get there.

glass

Tweet of the week — Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas), after Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers repeated the nonsense about the validity of U.S. President Joe Biden’s election victory in a Friday interview with ESPN: “Has anyone gone from ‘He could host Jeopardy!’ to ‘Legit horse paste conspiracy loon’ faster than Aaron Rodgers!?!”

John Stockton, the NBA Hall of Fame guard who starred at Gonzaga, has had his season tickets suspended by the school because he refuses to wear a mask at men’s basketball games. In an interview, Stockton, a devout anti-vaxxer, told Theo Lawson of the Spokane Spokesman-Review: “I think it’s highly recorded now, there’s 150 I believe now, it’s over 100 professional athletes dead — professional athletes — the prime of their life, dropping dead that are vaccinated, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court.” . . . Lawson also wrote: “During the interview, Stockton asserted that more than 100 professional athletes have died of vaccination. He also said tens of thousands of people – perhaps millions – have died from vaccines.” . . . Yes, we are in this for a long time yet.

Ducks

Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “Robot umpires — or ABS, the Automated Ball and Strike System — will be used in Triple-A games this season, Major League Baseball announced. So now players will be subjected to a whole different kind of annoying robocalls.”

——

A reminder from Perry: “Only 22 days till pitchers and catchers don’t report.”

The Fredonia State Blue Devils are an NCAA Division III team that plays out of the State University of New York in Fredonia. . . . And here’s a goalie goal from the Blue Devils’ Logan Dyck, a 22-year-old from Calgary . . .

Headline at fark.com: Seahawks uninstall Norton.

Fishing

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Abducted

Team Canada has roster set for WJC . . . QMJHL looking at more bubbles . . . Canada extends border restrictions

With the 10 teams that are to compete in the 2021 World Junior Championship to move into the Edmonton bubble on Sunday, Team Canada made its final 2021WJCseven cuts on Friday at its selection camp in Red Deer, getting its roster down to 25. . . . The roster includes six players who won gold at the 2020 World Junior Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic: F Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves), D Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants), F Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes), D Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters), F Connor McMichael (London Knights) and F Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi Sagueneens). . . .

The roster includes nine players from WHL teams: G Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers), G Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars), Byram, D Kaiden Guhle (Prince Albert Raiders), D Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets), D Braden Schneider (Brandon Wheat Kings), Cozens, F Peyton Krebs (Winnipeg Ice) and F Connor Zary (Kamloops). . . . F Kirby Dach played for the Saskatoon Blades before cracking the roster of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks as an 18-year-old prior to last season. . . . Of Team Canada’s 22 skaters, only two aren’t NHL first-round selections. Korczak was taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round in 2019, and D Jordan Spence of the Moncton Wildcats was taken by the Los Angeles Kings in that draft’s fourth round. . . .

Players dropped by Team Canada on Friday: F Mavrik Bourque (Shawinigan Cataractes), F Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s), D Lukas Cormier (Charlottetown Islanders), F Greg Goncalves (Everett Silvertips), F Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks), D Ryan O’Rourke (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), F Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix), F Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting) and D Donovan Sebrango (Kitchener Rangers). . . .

The tournament is scheduled to open with a Christmas Day triple header —  Slovakia-Switzerland, 11 a.m. Pacific; Finland-Germany, 3 p.m.; U.S.-Russia, 6:30 p.m. Canada is to open its schedule on Dec. 26 against Germany at 3 p.m. Pacific. . . . There is a complete schedule right here. . . .

TSN also will show 10 pre-tournament games, starting with two on Dec. 20 — U.S.-Switzerland, 5 p.m. Pacific, and Finland-Czech Republic, 8:30 p.m. . . . Canada will play Sweden on Dec. 21, at 5 p.m. Pacific. . . . TSN’s pre-tournament schedule is right here.

Jonathan Habashi of the Drummondville Express reports that the city’s Marcel-qmjhlnewDionne Center, home to the Voltigeurs, “could be the scene of a bubble in the QMJHL” after the regular season resumes following the pandemic-forced break that now is in place. . . . According to Habashi, one scenario has five teams playing 12 games over a nine-day stretch. . . . Last month, seven teams spent 11 days playing in a Quebec City bubble. . . . More from Habashi, via Google Translate: “Other organizations, including the Saguenéens de Chicoutimi, have already expressed their interest in hosting a bubble. According to the plan established by the QMJHL, the 18 teams on the circuit will return to action, each playing two games in three days, from January 22 to 24, in six different cities, including four in Quebec. Subsequently, the QMJHL intends to create three bubbles of four Quebec teams who would each play six games in nine days, from January 30 to February 7.” . . . Habashi’s complete story is right here.

The ECHL has created what it is calling the Commissioner’s Exempt List. It is, echlaccording to the league, “for players who have been deemed ineligible to play due to ECHL Covid-19 and Return-to-Play protocols.” . . . The league explains that “being placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List does NOT necessarily mean a player has tested positive. It could also mean the player has had close contact with someone who tested positive or is awaiting testing because of virus symptoms.” . . . Some ECHL teams opened the regular season on Friday night. The Kansas City Mavericks had to sign G Sean Bonar to a PTO on an emergency basis earlier in the day, because both of their goaltenders — Taran Kozun and Andrew Shortridge — are on the exempt list. Bonar had been released by the Jacksonville Icemen on Wednesday. The host Indy Fuel beat the Mavericks, 4-3 in a shootout. Kansas City didn’t list a backup goaltender on the game sheet.

Stock

COVID-19 CHRONICLES . . .

CBC News: 6,768 new cases of COVID-19 were reported across Canada today. Nationwide, there have been a total of 448,841 cases and 13,251 deaths. There have been 362,293 recoveries, and 73,297 cases are currently active.

CBC News: Manitoba is reporting 447 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 new deaths related to the illness. There are 297 COVID-19 patients in the province’s hospitals, including 40 in intensive care. Manitoba’s 5-day test positivity rate is 13.8%. 2,723 tests were completed Thursday.

680 CJOB Winnipeg: Manitoba’s chief public health officer says the province’s COVID-19 death rate has increased by more than nine times since Thanksgiving.

CBC News: Saskatchewan is reporting 246 new cases of COVID-19. There are 133 COVID-19 patients in Saskatchewan hospitals, including 27 people in intensive care.

CBC News: Alberta is reporting 1,738 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 additional deaths related to the illness. The province’s test positivity rate is 8.3%.

CBC News: B.C. is reporting 737 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 9,589 known active cases There have been 11 new COVID-19 related deaths in the province. There are 342 COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals, including 87 in intensive care.

CBC News: Ontario reports 45 additional COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily toll since October 2. There are 1,848 new cases; 469 in Toronto, 386 in Peel Region, and 205 in York Region. Ontario processed 63,051 tests (highest so far); test positivity rate is 3.2%. . . . Clarification: A previous tweet said the 45 lives claimed by COVID-19 in Ontario yesterday is the highest daily total since Oct. 2. In fact, that total reflected a data correction including previously unreported fatalities. The last day Ontario had 45 or more deaths was June 4.

Global Montreal: Quebec is reporting 1,713 new COVID-19 cases and 53 additional deaths as hospitalizations jumped Friday.

CBC News: New Brunswick is reporting 8 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 78 known active cases. There has been a new COVID-19 related death in the province, the 8th since the start of the pandemic.

CBC News: Nova Scotia is reporting 9 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 65 known active cases in the province. 5 cases are in the Central Zone, 3 in the Western Zone and 1 in the Northern Zone. There are currently no COVID-19 patients in the province’s hospitals.

CBC News: 1 new COVID-19 case has been reported in Newfoundland and Labrador. The new case is in the Western health region and is being investigated. The province’s known active caseload remains at 20, as 1 new recovery was also announced Friday.

CBC News: 16 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Nunavut. There are 56 known active cases in the territory, all in the community of Arviat.

Tom Tapp, deadline.com: The number of daily new Covid-19 cases in California jumped 20% in the past 24 hours to a new all-time high of 35,468. It’s the third record number of new cases in the past week. The state has also seen records fall in terms of deaths — that was 220 yesterday — and hospitalizations — at 12,940 on Friday — and ICU capacity — with just 9% left statewide.

The New York Times: More than 6,600 college athletes, coaches and staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, a New York Times analysis found. The actual tally is assuredly far larger, with dozens of schools releasing limited or no data for their athletic programs. . . . The Times was able to gather complete data for just 78 of the 130 universities in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Football Bowl Subdivision, the top level of college football. Some of those schools released the pandemic statistics only in response to requests filed under public records laws.

——

The junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League is on hold until at least Jan. 10. In a brief statement, the league said it “will be evaluating our ‘go-forward’ plan at that time. . . .

The Regina High Schools Athletic Association has continued its hold on all winter sports until at least February. . . .

Eli Gold, who has called 409 straight Alabama Crimson Tide football games, will have the streak end today (Saturday) because he and his wife have tested positive. Gold, 66, hasn’t missed a game since 1987. . . . Alabama (9-0) is scheduled to visit Arkansas (3-6) today. . . .

The U of Alaska-Fairbanks has opted out of the 2021 NCAA hockey season. From a statement: “The announcement on hockey was made in conjunction with a decision to suspend competition in men’s and women’s basketball at the school as well due to health and safety concerns.” . . . The U of Alaska-Anchorage shut down its program earlier this year. . . . This means that the WCHA will have eight teams when it begins conference play in January. . . . There now have been 10 NCAA Division I hockey teams opt out of this season.

The 2021 Kamloops Kidney Walk will be held virtually, as it was in June. Yes, Dorothy will be taking part, as she has since 2014. . . . She already has registered and her granddaughters, Averi and Kara, have joined her team. If you are interested in making a donation — perhaps you are looking for a tax receipt for this year’s filing — you are able to do so right here.

——

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Drawer

Sweden loses fourth coach to virus . . . Germany has another positive test . . . Sask. curling clubs, hockey teams hit by outbreaks

It has been confirmed that F Xavier Simoneau, 19, of the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs and D Daemon Hunt, 18, of the WHL’s Moose Jaw 2021WJCWarriors  Wheat Kings tested positive during the Canadian national junior team’s training camp in Red Deer. Both players were among five players sent home on Tuesday because they were, according to Hockey Canada, “unfit to play.”

Jonathan Habashi of the Drummondville L’Express wrote that according to his information, “Simoneau was diagnosed positive for COVID-19 at the start of the junior Team Canada quarantine.”

Hunt told Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun that he found out he had tested positive on the second day of the quarantine.

“I got symptoms the day we went into self-isolation,” Hunt told Friesen. “I only had a sore throat for a couple of days, and that was about it.”

It could be, then, that at least four players tested positive early in the camp. Hockey Canada announced on Nov. 25 that two players had tested positive and that all players, coaches and staffs were to go into a two-week quarantine retroactive to Nov. 23.

F Ridly Greig of the Brandon Wheat Kings tested positive well before the camp and was late getting to the selection camp. He told Danica Ferris of Global Lethbridge on Tuesday that he hasn’t recovered completely and that his lungs still are weak.

Meanwhile, Team Canada held an intrasquad game in Red Deer on Wednesday night with White getting two goals and two assists from F Kirby Dach in a 6-4 victory over White.

——

Sweden’s national junior team has lost a fourth coach with the news that goaltender coach Nizze Landen has tested positive. That makes four players and four coaches, including head coach Tomas Montén, having tested positive in the Swedish camp. Anders Eriksén has moved up from the U-18 team to help Joel Rönnmark, the lone remaining coach on the staff. . . .

Germany suffered its fourth positive test on Wednesday, this one to F Elias Lindner. F Enrico Henriquez-Morales and F Jan-Luca Schumacher have been added to Germany’s camp roster.

The QMJHL, which is on hold at least until early in 2021, will have a trading window open on Dec. 20. The league has yet to decide how long it will last, but this one is going to be different because of COVID-19.

As Stéphane Julien, the head coach of the Sherbrooke Phoenix, told Jerome Gaudreau of the Sherbrooke Tribune:

“There will be a lot of clauses in all transactions. If our club decides to go ahead and aim for the cup, we could go looking for players by adding a COVID clause to the exchange by asking to get something in return if there is no series or if the season is limited to 10 other games. Teams won’t dare to pay top dollar for a player if the season is called off. There will be a few asterisks with each transaction.”

If you are on Twitter, feel free to check out Keith Baldrey’s timeline. He is a political journalist with Global TV in B.C. His account is @keithbaldrey. . . . There was a junior hockey-related exchange there with a number of people, including former SportsTalk host Dan Russell, over the last day or two.

“Nearly two dozen COVID-19 outbreaks were declared for Saskatchewan curling clubs and hockey teams or leagues in less than four weeks — including 10 outbreaks after the sports suspension was in effect,” reports Nicholas Frew of CBC News. “Five curling clubs and at least 17 hockey teams or leagues have had COVID-19 outbreaks since Nov. 13, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA’s) outbreak list.” . . . Ryan Demmer, University of Minnesota associate professor of epidemiology and community health, was asked how to avoid spread in those environments and replied: “Don’t play hockey, is the simple answer.” . . . That complete story is right here.

COVID-19 CHRONICLES . . .

CBC News: Sask. reports 302 new COVID-19 cases, 5 more deaths.

CBC News: Alberta reports 1,640 new COVID-19 cases, 13 more deaths. Province to start rollout of COVID-19 vaccine for acute-care staff next week. There are 685 people in the hospital including 121 in ICU.

rdnewsNOW: Red Deer with 385 active COVID-19 cases.

CBC News: B.C. reports 619 new COVID-19 cases, 16 more deaths. The province aims to immunize 400,000 people against the coronavirus by March 2021, with priority given to residents and staff of long-term care homes and health-care workers.

CBC News: Ontario reports 1,890 new COVID-19 cases, which pushes the 7-day average up to 1,840. Of the new cases, 517 are in Toronto, 471 in Peel Region and 187 in York Region. The province also says there have been 28 additional deaths due to the virus.

CBC News: Quebec is reporting 38 additional deaths due to COVID-19. The province also has 1,728 new cases, pushing the 7-day average up to 1,629.

CBC News: 9 more cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in Nunavut, all in the community of Arviat on the west shore of Hudson’s Bay. There are now 48 active coronavirus cases in the territory; all are in Arviat, which remains on lockdown.

CBC News: COVID-19 detected in wastewater in Yellowknife, government says. Anyone who was self-isolating in Yellowknife from Nov. 30 until the present should get a COVID-19 test.

Keith Baldrey, Global TV: A couple of months ago Washington state health officials thought they were getting #COVID19 under control. Here are their numbers for the past  week: 19,521 cases. 1042 hospitalizations. 166 deaths. And it’s getting worse.

Philip Rucker, Washington Post: U.S. records more than 3,000 deaths in a single day, a new high.

CNN: 289,000 people in the United States have died from coronavirus.

The New York Times: At least 356,000 more people than normal have died in the U.S. between March 15 and Nov. 21 according to our analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is nearly 20% higher than what would be expected in a normal year.

yahoo.com: California Counties Run Out Of ICU Capacity; Predicted Covid-19 “Surge On Top Of A Surge” Hits; Deaths Spike Dramatically.

The New York Times: Arnie Robinson Jr., who won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, died on Dec. 1 from complications of Covid-19. He was 72.

The Onion: South Dakota Unveils New ‘Come Die Here’ Tourism Campaign.

——

The U of Washington has halted all football-related activities because of positive tests. Its scheduled Saturday game against Oregon now is in doubt.

Zach16

——

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit

Vic2

Claim allegations detail horrific abuse in CHL . . . WHL start date in serious jeopardy . . . WJC teams plagued by COVID-19

If you are the least bit squeamish, you may  not want to click on the link in the tweet below. There are some horrific revelations in the story by Rick Westhead of TSN. . . . Please pay attention to the WARNING that accompanies it. . . .

The WHL’s plan to open its next regular season on Jan. 8 took another hit on Tuesday when the Alberta government announced mandatory restrictions that whlinclude the shuttering of all indoor rinks and arenas. The closures take effect on Sunday at midnight and are to run for at least four weeks. . . . Also on Tuesday, Manitoba announced that its restrictions, which have shut down junior hockey in the province, were being extended into January. . . . In Saskatchewan, public health orders are in place through Dec. 17. . . . The WHL has yet to have players report to their teams. It had hoped to have players travel on Dec. 26, then open mini-training camps on Dec. 27, all with the aim of opening a regular season of up to 50 games on Jan. 8. Teams would play strictly within their own divisions during the regular season. . . . In Washington state, which is home to four WHL teams, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that restrictions that now are in place will run at least through Jan. 4. . . . In Oregon, home to the Portland Winterhawks, indoor recreation spaces will remain closed at least through Dec. 17. . . . The OHL, which also has yet to bring in its players, has said it wants to open a regular season on Feb. 4. Perhaps the WHL will announce in a day or two that it is aiming for early February, too.

With the rosters of the American, Canadian and Swedish national junior hockey teams having already been impacted by COVID-19, Hockey Canada officials now are being asked about minimums involving the 10-team World Junior Championship that is to open in an Edmonton bubble on Dec. 25.

As in: What is the minimum number of teams needed for the tournament to be played? The answer seems to be eight.

As in: What is the minimum number of players needed for a team to be eligible to play a game? The answer seems to be 17 — 15 skaters and two goaltenders.

Team Canada is out of its two-week quarantine, forced on it when two players tested positive. But before returning to the ice on Tuesday, five players were Canadasent home, all of them for health reasons — F Ridly Greig of the Brandon Wheat Kings, D Daemon Hunt (Moose Jaw Warriors), D Mason Millman (Saginaw Spirit), D Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings) and F Xavier Simoneau (Drummondville Voltigeurs).

Those decisions left the camp roster at 41; it will be down to 25 in a few days.

Meanwhile, the Swedish team, which went into Tuesday having had four players already test positive, found out that three coaches have tested positive, including head coach Tomas Montén. Assistant coach Anders Lundberg and video coach Adam Almqvist also have tested positive. . . . F Albin Grewe, a third-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL’s 2019 draft, is the fourth player to have tested positive, after F William Eklund, D William Wallinder and F Karl Henriksson.

The Swedish Ice Hockey Association now is working with the IIHF to determine the alternatives. . . . What is known for sure, is that the four players and three coaches won’t be taking part in the WJC. . . . Johan Stark, the Swedish federation’s secretary general, said: “If we see that the trend is going in the wrong direction, we must consider whether participation is possible or not.” . . .

Germany also has had issues with COVID-19 and has lost three players to positive tests — G Tobias Ancicki, F Nino Kinder and F Lukas Reichel. The Chicago Blackhawks selected Reichel with the 17th overall pick of the NHL’s 2020 draft.

The Austrians haven’t escaped unscathed, either, with D Thimo Nickl, a fourth-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks in 2020, having tested positive.

And don’t forget that Team USA also lost three players to COVID-19 protocol. G Drew Commesso, F Robert Mastrosimone and D Alex Vlasic  all are from Boston University, which had to pause it’s men’s hockey program.

Rene Fasel, the longtime president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, has tested positive, as has general secretary Horst Lichtner, the IIHF’s second most-powerful man. The two had to postpone a trip to Belarus where they were to have met with Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s embattled president. . . . The 2021 men’s world championship is to be split between Latvia and Belarus, but the IIHF is under pressure to drop Belarus. The International Olympic Committee has suspended Lukashenko and wants the IIHF to honour that suspension.

Rain

The BCHL’s Langley Rivermen announced on Tuesday that they “have decided to pause the season effective immediately.” With things on hold until at least Jan. 8, the Rivermen statement read: “We feel it is in the best interest of the Langley community, the players, the staff and billets to pause until January, pending further news” from the B.C. government. . . . Under the restrictions implemented by the B.C. government and health officials, players 19 and older are prohibited from practising, while those 18 and younger are able to skate with restrictions. . . . Steve Ewen of Postmedia takes a further look right here at the situation in which the BCHL finds itself.

COVID-19 CHRONICLES . . .

CBC News: Global cases of COVID-19 top 68M: Johns Hopkins University.

CBC News: Manitoba is reporting 13 more COVID-19 deaths and 245 new cases. That’s the lowest daily case total in 17 days and drops the 7-day average to 324.

CBC News: Saskatchewan is reporting 6 more COVID-19 deaths and 183 new cases. That brings the 7-day average down to 264, but the number of hospitalizations hits a record high of 144, with 27 people in intensive care – also a record high.

CBC News: Alberta reports 1,727 new COVID-19 infections, setting another record with 20,388 active cases. Across the province, 654 people are being treated in hospitals for COVID-19, including 112 in ICU. Another nine deaths were added to the toll, bringing the total to 640 since March.

rdnewsNOW: Red Deer with 373 active COVID-19 cases.

Don Martin, CTV: Sad but necessary. A desperate Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has waved the white flag and imposed Canada’s most restrictive regime of shutdowns to fight a horrific COVID surge hitting its hospitals.

Richard Zussman, Global BC: There are 566 news cases of COVID-19 in the province. There have been 38,718 cases of the virus in BC. . . . There have been an additional 16 deaths due to COVID-19. There have been a total of 543 deaths in BC due to the virus. . . . There have been 265 deaths in the province from COVID in the last month. That is nearly half of all of the deaths due to the virus. . . . There are 352 people in hospital with COVID-19 in BC. There are 74 in ICU.

CBC News: Ontario has 1,676 new COVID-19 cases, lowest daily total since November 26. It sends the province’s 7-day average down slightly, from 1,820 to 1,816. Toronto has 588 cases, while Peel Region has 349 and York Region has 141. There are 10 additional deaths. . . . There are 794 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario; 219 in ICU and 132 on a ventilator. 39,200 more tests were completed in the province with a 5% positivity rate.

CBC News: 36 additional deaths and 1,564 new COVID-19 cases reported in Quebec. That sends the 7-day case average to 1,598 from 1,544.

KGW: 36 COVID-19 deaths in Oregon, most reported in a single day. . . The Oregon Health Authority also announced 1,341 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday.

KOMO News: The Washington State Department of Health reported 2,923 new COVID-19 cases, 145 additional hospitalizations and 26 more deaths in the past 24 hours.

The New York Times: North Carolina’s governor imposed a 10 p.m. curfew on Tuesday in the hope of slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 in the state has nearly doubled in the past month.

CNN: America surpasses 15 million confirmed Covid-19 cases. At least 284,887 in US have died from the virus since the pandemic began.

——

The NFL revealed on Tuesday that it had 18 players and 27 other personnel test positive during the week of Nov. 29 to Dec. 5. Since Aug. 1, it has had 173 players and 297 other personnel confirmed positive. . . .

WR Dez Bryant, now with the Baltimore Ravens, tested positive while taking warmups shortly before Tuesday’s game against his own club, the Dallas Cowboys. Prior to the game, Bryant was seen on the field hugging some of the Cowboys. . . . The game went on as scheduled, but without Bryant. . . .

The Green Bay Packers said Tuesday that only employees and players’ household families will be allowed to attend games at Lambeau Field for the remainder of this NFL season. . . .

The football game scheduled for Saturday between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines won’t happen for the first time since 1917. The Wolverines have had an outbreak of COVID-19. . . . The Cincinnati Bearcats won’t be visiting the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday. The Bearcats have been hit by the virus. The two teams will meet Dec. 19 in the AAC championship game, but only if the virus allows it, of course. . . . No. 8 Indiana and Purdue are supposed to meet on Saturday. However, Indiana cancelled practice on Tuesday and has paused all football-related activities because of positive tests. Purdue also cancelled Tuesday’s practice to “evaluate the results of recent COVID-19 testing.” . . .

The ECHL will open its 33rd regular season with five games on Friday and five more on Saturday. Eleven of the league’s 26 teams have opted out, at least for this season. . . . The Fort Wayne Komets and Toledo Walleye had said they would start in mid-January, but now say it will be in mid-February. . . .

Jairo Castillo, a scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died of complications from COVID-19. He died Sunday in the Dominican Republic at the age of 31. . . . Castillo once scouted for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Husband

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

MiddleAges

OHL now looking at Feb. 4 start to 40-game season . . . Still lots of unanswered questions . . . World Series aftermath mostly about Turner

OK . . . let’s recap the major junior hockey season to this point:

The QMJHL began its regular season on Oct. 1, but, frankly, things have been a bit messy. As of right now, its 12 Quebec-based teams are in a holding pattern, although four of them are expected to return to play this weekend. . . . Three teams have experienced positive tests. . . . It has three teams with eight games played and three that have played two apiece. . . . The Shawinigan Cataractes have moved their players into a dormitory. . . .

Meanwhile, the WHL has targeted Jan. 8 as the opening date for its next regular season. It has said that players will report to their teams after Christmas for short training camps. . . . Last week, the WHL decided to allow its players to transfer to junior A, junior B and U-18 teams. A number of WHL players have taken advantage of that, especially in joining junior A teams. . . . But there remain about a zillion unanswered questions and Jan. 8 is just over two months away. . . .

On Wednesday, the OHL announced that it will open training camps on Jan. 23 with its regular season — each team is to play 40 games — to begin on Feb. 4 and end on May 16. . . . Earlier, the OHL had said it was aiming to begin play on Dec. 1. . . . The OHL said its teams will bring in American and European players starting Jan. 8 and that they will quarantine. . . . Eight teams, four from each of its two conferences, will qualify for the playoffs. . . . The OHL has three American teams, but nothing has been decided on their immediate futures. . . . Jeff Marek of Sportsnet tweeted that the OHL has had “NO discussion about the contact issue. Teams assume that’s not going to happen.” He also tweeted that there wasn’t any “discussion about fans . . . but that’s not a surprise at this point.” . . . If all goes according to plan, the Memorial Cup will open on June 17 and run through June 27. . . . Again, there are a zillion questions that will have to be answered, in whole or in part, between now and February. Yes, February.

charliebrown

With the World Series having ended on Tuesday night, we should be absorbing all that came before the last out of Game 6. We should be saluting the Los WorldSeriesAngeles Dodgers as a truly great team, one that had a dominating 60-game regular season and was on pace to win 116 games had they played a ‘normal’ 162-game season. We should be celebrating a Dodgers team that won seven of its last nine playoff games to win that World Series. Instead, well, it’s not about that at all.

Having been notified that Dodgers 3B Justin Turner had tested positive, MLB was able to get him out of the lineup during Game 6. But it somehow wasn’t able to him off the field during post-game celebrations.

On Wednesday, MLB announced it has launched an investigation into Turner’s post-game behaviour.

MLB ordered the Dodgers to remove Turner from the game, and he didn’t take the field for the top of the eighth inning. According to MLB, Turner “was placed into isolation for the safety of those around him.

“However, following the Dodgers’ victory, it is clear that Turner chose to disregard the agreed-upon joint protocols and the instructions he was given regarding the safety and protection of others. While a desire to celebrate is understandable, Turner’s decision to leave isolation and enter the field was wrong and put everyone he came in contact with at risk. When MLB Security raised the matter of being on the field with Turner, he emphatically refused to comply.”

——

Meanwhile, here’s a handful of takes from a few writers of note . . .

Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated: “In a season nearly derailed by risky behavior, this was the most irresponsible moment yet. The league has protocols restricting behavior by people who have contracted the virus. ‘Any Covered Individual who tests positive for COVID-19 must immediately wear a face covering (and) isolate from all people,’ the operations manual states. But on Tuesday, the scientists in baseball pants were allowed to make public-health policy based on what seemed most fun.” . . . Her piece is right here.

——

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic: “Maybe little will come of Turner’s post-game behavior. Maybe he will recover from COVID-19 with minimal difficulty, like most people in his age group, and the vast majority of the Dodgers’ bubble contingent, if not all of it, will avoid infection. Still, some with the Dodgers are higher risk. (Manager Dave) Roberts is a cancer survivor. (Pitcher Kenley) Jansen, who had a three-week bout with the virus in July, has a heart condition. At least one of the players’ wives is pregnant.

“If other team or family members test positive, the images from Tuesday night will become that much more indelible, that much more regrettable. No one stopped Turner from returning to the field. He also did not stop himself.”

That piece is right here.

——

Nancy Armour of USA TODAY: “Justin Turner finally got his World Series title and Major League Baseball got its postseason TV riches, so to hell with everybody else.

“That’s how we’re doing it, right? Personal satisfaction and happiness over the collective good, science and common sense be damned.

The appalling flouting of COVID-19 protocols at the World Series on Tuesday night might as well be a microcosm of the United States, bringing into sharp focus why this country has lost almost 230,000 of its mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, grandparents and friends in the past seven months.”

That piece is right here.

——

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “When you were a teenager, did you ever throw a party when your parents were away?

“That’s what the Dodgers and Major League Baseball did Tuesday night.

“With no parents at home, no adult supervision, the Dodgers partied like it was 2019.

“As with your teenage party, it might take a while before we get a complete assessment of the damage, like when your dad found the broken wine bottle in the hot tub a week later.”

That complete piece is right here.

——

Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post: “The coronavirus had to make a cameo in this series, didn’t it? What would 2020 be without the virus proving it could sneak in anywhere, even an MLB bubble? But Dodgers star Justin Turner, removed in the middle of Game 6 when one of his test results came back positive, did not have to turn himself into a poster boy for pandemic irresponsibility.Turner will and should never live down returning to the field — knowing that he had the virus — to yell with teammates, pose massless in team photos and hug whomever he please.

“Turner symbolizes far too much of America now: I will take a world health crisis, which looks like it might kill more Americans than died in battle in World War II (291,000), sort of seriously — unless I’m having a real good time.”

Boswell’s complete take is right here. Our best baseball essayist also writes about how great this Dodgers team was and how that shouldn’t get lost in Turner’s faux pas.

Poison

COVID-19 CHRONICLES . . .

The AHL now has targeted Feb. 5 as the starting date for its next season. It had been looking to start on Dec. 4. . . . From a news release: “The AHL continues to work with its member clubs to monitor developments and local guidelines in all 31 league cities. Further details regarding the 2020-21 American Hockey League season are still to be determined.” . . .

The Wisconsin Badgers have had 12 positives — six players and six staff — so their game at Nebraska on Saturday has been cancelled. The positive include the first two quarterbacks on their depth chart and head coach Paul Chryst. . . . The Big Ten scheduled doesn’t include room for rescheduling so the game was cancelled. . . . Wisconsin will pause all football-related activities for seven days, while players who test positive, including starting QB Graham Mertz, must sit out for at least 21 days according to Big Ten protocol. . . .

Chilliwack FC, which oversees minor soccer in the B.C. city, has had to hire security in order to make sure that COVID-19 protocols are being followed, in particular by parents. . . . Andrea Laycock, Chilliwack FC’s chairperson, emailed parents on Tuesday, telling them that volunteers, staff and contact tracers have been facing abuse while trying to make sure protocols are being followed. . . . Laycock wrote: “Because the interactions at the contact tracing table and inside the facilities has at times been so horrific and borderline violent, Chilliwack FC has engaged Allegiance 1 Security to do periodic sweeps of all of our venues to ensure everyone is behaving and adhering to our policy. Should any issues be reported, the Chilliwack FC Disciplinary Committee will become involved and the offender(s) risk being banned from attending games to being expelled from Chilliwack FC. Enough is enough!” . . . Tyler Olsen of the Abbotsford News has more right here. . . .

The National Lacrosse League pulled the plug on its 2019-20 season in March and later cancelled it. On Wednesday, the NLL said that it hopes to get its next season started on the weekend of April 9-11. . . . Under what used to be normal circumstances, the NLL season would start in December or January. . . . The league has 13 teams, including five in Canada, so there still are lots of decision to be made before another season can get started. . . .

The 2021 Boston Marathon was scheduled for April 19, but now has moved to an unspecified date in the fall. The 2020 Marathon was cancelled earlier this year. . . .

The NFL’s Houston Texans, who are on a bye week, closed their facility on Wednesday after an unidentified player tested positive. The Texans are next scheduled to play on Nov. 8 against the host Jacksonville Jaguars. . . .

The MLS’s Minnesota United had a player come up positive before playing visiting Colorado on Wednesday night, but the game went ahead as scheduled as all others tested were negative. . . . Also on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia Union, despite having one positive test, went ahead with a home game against the Chicago Fire.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Train

OHL aiming for Dec. 1 start . . . 2021 Memorial Cup gets June 17 start . . . WHL update expected today

The OHL announced Wednesday that it is hoping to begin a 64-game regular schedule on ohlDec. 1. It would end on April 29, with 16 of its 20 teams moving into playoffs. . . . The OHL also revealed that the plan is for the 2021 Memorial Cup to be played from June 17-27 with either the Oshawa Generals or Soo Greyhounds the host team. . . . Here’s David Branch, the OHL commissioner, in a news release: “Players will remain at home until the season resumes and teams will work closely with them on both their academic studies and overseeing their on- and off-ice development. In addition, the league will liaise with our facilities to ensure that our venues are safe for our return to play.”

The WHL, which earlier said that it hoped to begin play on Oct. 2, is expected to announce today — governors chatted on Wednesday — that it has moved that date to early December. I am told that date could be Dec. 4 and that the WHL schedule is expected to include 68 games for each of the 22 teams. Teams will spend the first two months playing inside their own divisions. . . . Of course, among a whole lot of other things, like testing and tracing, the WHL still will have to solve the U.S.-Canada border conundrum and the fact that, at least in B.C., large gatherings aren’t likely to be allowed by health officials until at least the new year.

——

——

What follows are 2020-21 starting dates as proposed by various hockey leagues:

AHL: Dec. 4

AJHL: Sept. 18

BCHL: Dec. 1

ECHL: Dec. 4

KHL: Sept. 2

KIJHL: Oct. 2

MJHL: ??

NAHL: Oct. 9

NHL: Dec. 1

OHL: Dec. 1

Pacific Junior Hockey League: Sept. 29

QMJHL: Oct. 1

SJHL: Sept. 25

USHL: ??

Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League: Sept. 7 (48 games), Oct. 12 (40), Nov. 16 (40), Dec. 14 (32)

WHL: Oct. 2

(NOTE: These were compiled off the Internet and from news releases. Feel free to email greggdrinnan@gmail.com with additions or corrections.)

Pandemic

COVID-19 CHRONICLES . . .

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The ECHL was to have started its 2020-21 regular season on Oct. 16. It announced Wednesday that it now hopes to get started on Dec. 4, with teams playing a full 72-game schedule. . . .

The NBA announced Wednesday that it conducted 343 tests over the previous week with no positives. In the two weeks before that it conducted 344 and 346 tests without any positive tests. . . . The NBA has its teams in a bubble in Orlando, Fla., as it works toward finishing its season. . . .

The U of Connecticut has cancelled its 2020 football season, citing the coronavirus pandemic. UConn, which left the American Athletic Conference after last season (when it finished 2-10), was to play this season as an independent. . . . It is the first FBS school to cancel its season. . . . The Huskies’ roster includes two Canadian quarterbacks — Jack Zergiotis of Montreal and Jonathan Senecal of Quebec City. . . . Here’s David Benedict, the school’s athletic director, in a news release: ”After receiving guidance from state and public health officials and consulting with football student-athletes, we’ve decided that we will not compete on the gridiron this season. The safety challenges created by COVID-19 place our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk.” . . .

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The U of Louisville has suspended all activities involving its men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey and volleyball teams after 29 players on the four teams tested positive. A number of other teammates and student-athletes from other sports are in quarantine after contact tracing. The primary source of the outbreak apparently was an off-campus party. . . .

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Fiji

Enio Sacilotto has taken over as the head coach of the Vancouver Northwest Hawks U15 AAA team. . . . Sacilotto, 62, spent the past three seasons at the West Van Academy. . . . He has extensive coaching experience in Europe, including with the Croatian national team program. . . .  He also spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals.

The Regina Pats announced on June 29 that Phil Andrews, their director of media and communications, was leaving the club effective July 31. On Wednesday, Andrews, who also has been the club’s play-by-play voice, tweeted that he will be hanging around for a while longer. . . . It seems that he will be with the Pats until the whole pandemic thing gets sorted out and there is more definition surrounding the start of a new season.

Old

Nicknames: To change, or not to change, that is the question . . . Top NASCAR driver tests positive . . . Hockey Canada cancels U-17 WHC

In a recent editorial, the Washington Post called for Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, to change the NFL team’s nickname.

Asked by USA Today in 2013 if he would change the name, Snyder replied: “NEVER — you can use caps.”

But now, with Black Lives Matter front and centre, the pressure is on again.

From The Post’s View:

“Already, institutions across the board have been forced to take stock of how their practices and policies and — yes — even the names and symbols of their products have contributed to racial misunderstanding and prejudice. Quaker Oats announced it was getting rid of Aunt Jemima from its syrup and pancake mixes, and Uncle Ben and Mrs. Butterworth seem sure to follow. . . . Events DC, which manages RFK Stadium in Washington, removed a statue of George Preston Marshall, who as owner of the local football team refused to allow black players for as long as he possibly could. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently admitted to — and apologized for — not listening to players about systemic racism and police brutality against African Americans. He also must know it is wrong for a team to have a name that the dictionary defines as a racial slur and that no one would ever use to address a person who is a Native American.

“This should be an easy call. Mr. Snyder — or, if Mr. Snyder refuses to back down from his declaration of ‘NEVER,’ the NFL — should take advantage of this singular moment in history to get on the right side of history. Change the name. NOW.”

It seems that a name change is imminent, what with various sponsors and other businesses with ties to the NFL team now applying pressure.

FedEx, which agreed to a naming rights deal for the stadium in which the team plays, has asked Snyder to change the name. Frederick W. Smith, FedEx’s CEO and chairman, is a minority owner of the team.

Nike has taken the team’s merchandise from its online store, but has yet to offer an explanation.

Officials with Pepsi and Bank of America also have indicated that they want to see a name change.

“It’s not hard to change the name,” Tony Dungy, who is well-respected in NFL circles, told William C. Rhoden of The Undefeated.

Meanwhile, you can add Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream to the list of name-changers, too, because management told Reuters the other day that it will change the brand name of its Eskimo Pie ice cream stick.

Yes, the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos are facing pressure — again — to come up with a new nickname.

Simon Fraser University, which is located in Burnaby, almost surely will be changing its nickname — Clan — at some point in the coming months after 97 per cent of student-athletes voted to get rid of it. The athletes, it seems, are tired of being asked about the nickname, especially when they journey south to play against U.S. schools.

And the Cleveland Indians say they are ready to discuss a change. They issued a release on Friday that read, in part: “We are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name.”

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Here’s Bob Molinaro of the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot, on the nickname situation involving the Washington NFLers: “It’s been theorized that a fan boycott might convince Snyder to change the team’s name. But judging from attendance at FedEx Field the last few years, how could anybody tell if there was a boycott?”

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With all of that, allow me to place this on the table . . .

There are four WHL teams with nicknames and logos that refer in one way or another to Native American or Canadian First Nations peoples — the Moose Jaw Warriors, Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds and Spokane Chiefs.

In November 2014, the Prince Albert Raiders received some heat when they unveiled a new mascot — Boston Raider — that was sponsored by a pizza joint. But, as Adam Proteau wrote in The Hockey News, “The new mascot’s appearance does not sit well with a number of people who believe it stereotypes those of Middle Eastern heritage.”

The mascot, which also paid tribute to the Raiders’ original logo, quickly and quietly disappeared, with the club apologizing to anyone who may have been been offended.

The Raiders really didn’t mean anything with what they felt was a simple marketing move.

The WHL franchises in Moose Jaw, Portland, Seattle and Spokane aren’t trying to be offensive with their nicknames, either.

But with all that’s going on right now, should they be changing their nicknames to, as the Washington Post editorial read, “get on the right side of history,” or is it OK to maintain the status quo?

Maybe the WHL and one, two three or all of those franchises should take action now and, in doing so, get in front of things . . . instead of having to react at a later date.

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Prescrip

Jimmie Johnson, with seven NASCAR titles under his belt, has tested positive and will miss this weekend’s races at Indy. He will have to have two negative tests within a 24-hour period before being allowed to return to racing. . . . Going into this weekend, Johnson had made 663 consecutive starts. In fact, he has never missed a start in his career. . . . According to Jeff Gluck, who covers NASCAR like a blanket for The Athletic, Johnson “got tested (Friday) after learning wife Chani tested positive.” . . . Justin Allgaier will drive the No. 48 in Sunday’s Brickyard 400. . . .

Jeremy Rutherford and Scott Burnside of The Athletic reported Friday evening that, according to sources, the NHL’s St. Louis Blues have cancelled practices at their facility because of “multiple” positive tests. . . . The Blues skated on Thursday at the facility, but not on Friday. . . .

Hockey Canada has cancelled the 2020 World U-17 Hockey Challenge that was to have been played in Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I., from Oct. 31 through Nov. 7. . . . The 2021 event will be held in those communities. . . . Hockey Canada also said that its remaining 2020 schedule remains unchanged, including the National Women’s U-18 Championship, Nov. 2-8, in Dawson Creek, B.C.; the Para Hockey Cup, Dec. 6-12, in Bridgewater, N.S.; the World Junior A Challenge, Dec. 13-20, in Cornwall, Ont.; and the 2021 World Junior Championship, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer. . . .

MLB and the MLBPA announced Friday that positive tests total 31 players and seven staff members with teams having opened workouts to prepare for a July 23 opening day. . . . Identities of those testing positive aren’t being released, although OF Delino DeShields Jr. of the Cleveland Indians gave the team permission to reveal that he tested positive. . . . The Minnesota Twins said they have had four players test positive, including C Willians Astudillo, P Edwar Colina and INF Nick Gordon. The identity of the fourth player wasn’t released. . . .

The 2020 All-Star Game that was to have been played at Dodgers Stadium has been cancelled. The game had been scheduled for July 14. . . . This will be the first year since 1945 that an all-star game hasn’t been played. . . . The 2021 game is scheduled for Atlanta, and the 2022 game now is to be played in Los Angeles.

Psychic

“As organized sports attempt to return during the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes, coaches, spectators and bystanders will all be expected to sign liability waivers,” writes Michael McCann of Sportico. “Everyone associated with the games will have to accept, in so many words, that he or she (1) assumes the risk of contracting COVID-19 through their participation and (2) agrees that the organizer—be it a league, team, venue, college or even high school—would not be liable for any COVID-19 related harms.

“This is not just true of players, coaches and referees. According to The Athletic, the NFL is weighing the possibility of mandating that ticket-holders sign COVID-19 waivers as a condition of stadium entry.”

McCann is an attorney and law professor who writes on sports and law. In this piece right here, he writes on the potential legality of these waivers in the U.S.

Had to go to a small grocery store on Friday afternoon. Might have been two dozen people in it. I saw one mask. I was wearing it. . . . Come on people. Be better. . . .

If you’re wondering what we’re dealing with here, go to Twitter and check out the thread accompanying the tweet below . . .

Cat

Scattershooting after CFL’s big day . . . Carcillo tweets a bullying story . . . Silvertips take care of Winterhawks

Scattershooting

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times, with the details on one of 2018’s greatest sporting controversies: “Wesley Harms blamed his 10-2 semifinal loss to two-time world champion Gary Anderson at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton, England, on Anderson fouling the air with flatulence, telling Dutch TV station RTL7L: ‘It’ll take me two nights to lose this smell from my nose.’ Anderson, however, vehemently denied his triumph was wind-aided.”

Mick McGeough, who suffered a stroke on Sunday and was taken off life support by his family later in the week, was one of a kind as a WHL/NHL referee. Had referees worn microphones when he was working, he may never have had his in the ‘off’ position. Yes, he was Wes McCauley before Wes McCauley. . . . Condolences to Mick’s family, friends and associates.

You may have heard the buzz recently about John Dorsey, the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, saying that he might think about Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. secretary of state, as the NFL team’s next head coach. Here’s what old friend Jack Finarelli of SportsCurmudgeon.com thought of that: “If he said that as part of a stand-up comedy routine, maybe it would work in that context; in just about any other context, it is about as dumb as an inflatable dart board.”

Just wondering, but do stores in the U.S. have Black (whatever-day-of-the-week-it-is) sales on the day after Canadian Thanksgiving?

Yes, I ventured into a few stores on Friday afternoon. I was quickly reminded that we are into the time of year when many shoppers are in surly moods. It’s also the time of year when the number of phone-gazing shoppers clogging aisles seems to quadruple. So be careful out there.

Headline at The Onion (@TheOnion): 42 Million Dead in Bloodiest Black Friday Weekend on Record

Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors wasn’t injured in a car accident on Friday morning. “I think he has another car that can drive,” offered a joking Steve Kerr, the NBA team’s head coach. . . . That brought this tweet from Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Bob (Butterbean) Love, former NBA great, once called to say he’d miss practice due to car trouble. A teammate said, ‘Must be an epidemic. Bean’s got six cars.’ ”

Is it just me or is Brian Burke working hard at becoming another Don Cherry, only without the wardrobe?

Blogger Tony Chong of Richmond, B.C., is back with us after a brief absence, and he is wondering “why doesn’t E. coli or listeria ever affect brussel sprouts?”

Beaters

Headline at SportsPickle.com: Steelers are clearly distracted by not having Le’Veon Bell as a distraction

When the gap in a football game is seven or eight points, why do announcers insist on calling it a one-score game? Excuse me, but the trailing team still needs a touchdown and a one- or two-point conversion to pull even. By my math that’s two scores.

Cartoon

ThisThat

Daniel Carcillo’s NHL career included 429 games and 1,233 penalty minutes, so you know what his role was with the teams for which he played — the Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers.

Before reaching the NHL, he played 161 regular-season games in the OHL (2002-05) — 141 with the Sarnia Sting and 20 with the Mississauga IceDogs.

These days, Carcillo, as he puts it on his Twitter page, is a “Mental Health/Concussion/TBI Advocate.”

On Saturday, in a series of 15 tweets that started with a hashtag — #BullyingAwarenessWeek — Carcillo detailed the treatment he received as a rookie with the Sting. As you read this, don’t think for a minute that players on other teams throughout junior hockey weren’t subjected to similar hazings back in the day.

I have taken Carcillo’s 15 tweets and strung them together. Here is Carcillo’s story . . .

The year is 2002-2003 I am 17 turning 18 yrs old & it’s my @NHL draft year

I moved away from home, family & friends, to play hockey in the @OHLHockey for the @StingHockey

I endured daily bullying/abuse at the hands of veteran players.

Below is my story . . .

Moving away from everyone you’ve ever known is hard

Living with strangers is, well, strange

Going to a new high school isn’t easy

Daily practices, workouts, long travel times for games are gruelling

Playing against 21 yr olds when you are 17 is intimidating

Having your teammates beat you on a daily basis with the sawed off paddle of a goaltender’s hockey stick, takes both a physical & mental toll on a teenager

I remember being so confused at the beginning of the yr

I remember thinking to myself, “If this is part of the process, just shut your mouth & bide your time”

Another thought that often came to mind is why

Why are my teammates demeaning the youngest players on the team?

Do they think this will create team unity?

What did we do?

You can only whip a horse so much before it quits on you, & that’s exactly what happened my rookie year in the #OHL

There were 12 of us who were rookies

Most of us held strong until the latter part of the year, when we had a game against the @GoLondonKnights in London

It’s a fairly short bus ride from London to Sarnia, about 45 min when you are sitting in a bus seat

If you are stuffed inside the bus washroom with 6-7 other rookies, while veterans hurl their spit from chewing tobacco through a vent in the door at you, 45 mins can feel like an eternity.

2 of us had had enough

We came out of the washroom swinging

Needless to say we never got the “hot box” treatment again

I can go on & speak about the other abuses many of us had to endure that year, but that will be in the book, along with names of those responsible

Since our coaches almost seemed to condone and encourage this kind of behaviour, & our GM hired the coaches, I didn’t know who I could trust.

So I sent a letter to the Commissioner of the league, David Branch, explaining exactly what 12 of us had to endure on a daily basis

I am speaking honestly about this story bc I want ppl to know that you do not have to accept what bullies tell u

The guys beating me on a daily basis & degrading me, were also the ones I hung out with at night at the movies

The abuse didn’t stop

It was constant

My abusers would say things like “don’t worry man, you’re going to be able to do this to the rookies next year!”
I can remember thinking at that exact moment…

‘Why would I ever want to make someone feel this way, let alone my teammate?’

How did I get through that year?

It was my draft year, & I was singularly focused on my goal of making something of myself

Nothing was going to get in my way

No opponent or bully

Everything happens for a reason

We finished in 1st place in the #OHL but we made a 1st round exit out of the playoffs, losing to the Guelph Storm

Remember what I said about the horse?

You guessed it

All the rookies had quit on the veterans

A conscious decision

I can remember the talk the over-ager gave, a desperate plea after the 1st. period of game 4

He was crying

It didn’t matter

Many of us were broken now

Damaged not only from the game, but from the constant bullying & physical & mental abuse

Emotional lacerations that aren’t easy to stitch up

Bc of our first round exit & the yr I had, I was invited to play for @TeamCanada at the U-18s in Yaroslavl, Russia

The tournament was packed with scouts

We won the Gold Medal

I ended up being drafted 73rd overall to the @penguins in the 2003 #NHL entry draft

Everything happens for a reason!

Don’t discredit times of suffering

Through pain, both emotional & physical, I have discovered who I am

If u r experiencing bullying/abuse of any kind & u don’t know what to do, confide in someone you trust for advice.

If you stop off here and enjoy what you see — or even if you don’t — feel free to click on the DONATE button over there on the right and make a contribution. Thanks in advance.

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS:

The Everett Silvertips snapped a 1-1 tie with three straight goals en route to a 5-3 victory Everettover the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . Everett (19-7-1) has points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . The Silvertips lead the Western Conference by five points over the Vancouver Giants (16-6-2) and the U.S. Division by nine points over the Winterhawks (14-9-2). . . . F Martin Fasko-Rudas gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:53 of the first period, only to have D Jared Freadrich (3) pull Portland even at 5:05. . . . Fasko-Rudas, who has six goals, broke the tie at 8:20, and F Reece Vitelli made it 3-1 at 16:11. . . . Everett went ahead 4-1 when F Luke Ormsby (2) counted at 17:34. . . . The Winterhawks made things interesting on goals from F Michal Kvasnica (2), at 18:01 of the second, and F Joachim Blichfeld (21), on a PP, at 9:27 of the third. . . . F Connor Dewar (21) wrapped it up for Everett with an empty-netter at 19:31. . . . Fasko-Rudas, a Slovakian sophomore, enjoyed the first two-goal game of his career. He has six goals and seven assists in 27 games this season, after putting up six goals and nine assists in 70 games last season. . . . Everett was awarded only two assists on its five goals and one of those went to G Dustin Wolf. . . . Glass ran his point streak to 12 games with one assist. In those 12 games, he has five goals and 18 helpers. . . . These teams will meet again Wednesday, this time in Everett.

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